Thanksgiving Kindness
by Lola McCarthy
Summary: It's thanksgiving at the Flynn-fletcher home and everyone is there, and practically all are thankful. But when an unexpected encounter forces them to understand they take everything for granted, they realize the importance of loving others no matter what they look like or where they come from. They realize that showing kindness is one of the best things you can do.


**Hello, guys! It's Thanksgiving, and I thought I'd write something in honor of it! ^^ I may write more stories going off of this, and maybe not.  
**

**Don't own Phineas and Ferb.  
**

* * *

"Hey, Dinnerbell! Pass the ham." Buford was decked out in a sweater-vest and slacks, along with nice dress shoes. He'd even showered and brushed his teeth, something that he said he would do for important occasions only.

"Sure, Buford!" Phineas handed Buford the sliced ham that had just come out of the oven. He too, was fancied up. His hair was slicked back and he was in a suit and bow tie. "Izzy, could you please pass the rolls for me? Thanks."

Isabella giggled and passed the rolls. She was wearing a cute orange and red dress with a brown belt and sparkly brown ballet flats. Her hair was curled and had a red bow pulling her bangs back. "This is delicious, Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher. I love the stuffing!" She took another bite of stuffing with gravy and smiled contentedly.

"Well, thank you, Isabella! It's a homemade recipe." Linda wasn't dressed fancy like the others, but her face shone with pride at her divine feast and love for those around her, and her flour dusted apron added to the homey atmosphere of the Flynn-Fletcher home. "Honey, could you hand me the potatoes, please?"

"Here they are, dear." The potatoes made their way over to Linda by way

of Lawrence, as he chewed his turkey. "Everything is so wonderful darling!" He added, taking care not to drop any green beans on his dress shirt and turkey-patterned tie. "What do you think of it, my boy?"

Ferb was busy buttering a roll, but stopped and smiled, giving a thumbs-up sign.

Candace ruffled Ferb's hair. "How do you like my sweet potato casserole?" Ferb smiled again and Candace nodded. "Good. Took me forever to make it!" She was wearing a cream-colored blouse with ruffles around the collar and a brown pleated skirt, with matching brown high-heeled boots and dangly earrings. Her hair was pulled out of her face by a black headband. "I can't wait to eat your pie, Stace!"

"Yes, a pie I ruined twice and Mom had to remake." Stacey frowned. "I've had better dishes come along. And my hair looks horrible."

"Don't say that, honey. You look beautiful," Dr. Hirano said, looking at her daughter's crimped hair and blue dress.

"You _could _have a better attitude, Stacy," Jeremy said. "A lot of people are homeless and don't even have food eat on a daily basis. You should be thankful!" Jeremy nodded and smoothed his brown leather jacket out. "I'm just thankful I'm able to be with you guys before I start boot camp."

There were a few moments of silence, as no one wanted to mention Jeremy's decision to join the military. Everyone looked down at their plates, staring at cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. The silence was getting uncomfortable, when Perry suddenly chattered, reminding them to focus on the now and not the later.

"Thank you for inviting me for Thanksgiving," Baljeet piped up. He, unlike the others, wasn't able to dress up, and ever since his mother died the month before had been like a second son to the Flynn-Fletchers.

He was heartily returned with a "You're welcome!" And soon talking picked up again, along with various peals of laughter and chuckles. Not too long after that, however, the subject of the military was brought up again and Jeremy, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, excused himself from the table and went outdoors for a breath of fresh air.

He came outside and sat on the rocking chair, with his elbows propped up on his knees, and his hands formed into fists, holding his face up. He breathed heavily for a few breaths and sighed. It was hard to remain thankful for his loved ones when they seemed to hate his decisions. Especially when those decisions seemed like the right thing to do. For a while he looked at his breath in the cold air and then closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair.

Then, all of the sudden, he thought he heard someone crying. He opened his eyes and looked around but didn't see anything. Then Jeremy heard the cry again, this time louder. With more observing, he finally found where the crying was coming from. He found a tall brunette girl all dressed in black and sitting on the curb across the street. Because it was so dark, he could only see her by the streetlights.

The girl had her face in her hands and seemed to get louder with each passing second. Jeremy quickly stood up and made his way over to her, minding the approaching car. He stooped down in front of her and said,

"What's wrong?"

The girl lifted her head and stopped crying momentarily. She sniffed before saying, "Nothing, okay? It's not your problem."

"No, please tell me. I want to help if I can."

"Help? You want to help?" The girl stood up. Jeremy now recognized her as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, whom he had met several times. "If you want to help, build me a new home and replace everything my dad and I lost in the fire. If you want to help, tell my brother to come home from the army. If you want to help, Jeremy," This time she was an inch from his face. "Keep my family from falling apart."

Jeremy sighed. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Vanessa shrugged. "Wouldn't hurt I don't guess. Not a lot more can go wrong that has already gone wrong." She sat back down and Jeremy sat beside her.

"My…my dad and I were planning to go to my grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. My brother, J.R., was supposed to come back from the army to spend it with us, and everything was alright. Mom and Timothy-my stepfather- were supposed to be coming, too. I was planning for it weeks in advance! I was even going to wear a dress, and for once I was actually happy." She steadied her breathing, afraid she was going to start crying again. "Then, a few days ago, we got a call and we were told that J.R. wouldn't be able to come home for Thanksgiving. I sort of brushed it off, because, hey, what can you do about those things, right?"

Jeremy stayed silent, listening to every word Vanessa said.

"Well, the day after that, my grandmother called and said that my granddad was sick with the flu, and that we wouldn't be able to come over. Then my mom called and said she 'needed a break from the family' and so she and Timothy high-tailed it off to the beach. A-and…and then yesterday…" Here her voice started cracking. "Yesterday my dad and I went shopping and when we came home, we found nothing. Nothing was there. No house, and nothing that was in it survived the fire."

She again started crying and Jeremy put a comforting arm around her.

"We have no money! We don't have any clothes or food, or…or anything. I don't know what to do, Jeremy! I'm so hungry! I haven't eaten all day." She sobbed. She was now hugging Jeremy and though she felt like a total idiot, crying helplessly in front of someone she wasn't even that close to, and though she felt her pride melting away, it felt good to be able to talk to someone who actually listened.

"It's alright, Vanessa," Jeremy replied. "It's alright."

They didn't talk for a minute or two until Jeremy said,

"It's too cold for you to stay out here." He stood up and helped Vanessa up, and led her back inside the house. When they came through the door, Jeremy realized not much food had been eaten while he was gone; they were too busy discussing what to say to him when he came back. But when they saw who he was leading inside, their eyes all widened. They stood up from the table and Vanessa went into the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Mrs. Flynn-Fletcher, Lawrence, and Candace all took Jeremy aside.

"What were you thinking, Jeremy?" Linda asked. "Why is this girl here?"

Jeremy looked confused.

"Her dad is the president of Doofenshmirtz Evil, Inc. Obviously, she's not a good one. How dare you have the nerve to bring someone like here in here?" Linda looked almost angry.

Lawrence spoke up. "Honey, just because her father is evil doesn't mean-"

"You saw what happened to Fallon's father, and you saw what happened to her. Don't tell me anything."

"I don't know Vanessa that well, Mom…but I agree with you. She shouldn't be here," Candace agreed, feeling somewhat spiteful. She never liked the look of Vanessa very much, anyway.

The others soon crowded around the three, all arguing with Lawrence and Jeremy about poor Vanessa. Phineas, Isabella, and Ferb were on her side and the rest were against her. The girl sat hunched over, about to cry even more.

The argument was getting unbearably loud, and then Jeremy shouted,

"Alright, everybody! Stop it!" He came to Vanessa. "You don't know what this poor girl's been through. Her grandfather's sick, her mom bailed on her for Thanksgiving, her brother's stuck in the army, and her house burned down! They hardly have anything left." He sat down. "The least we could do is show a bit of kindness. Because even though her background may not be the best, she has been through a lot of crap this past week. We take so many things for granted, guys. We have food to eat everyday, and clothes to wear, a roof over our heads, and a warm bed to sleep in. And I know all of us have been through a tough time or two, but everyone has always helped us. So, you guys can do what you want, but I'm helping her. Let's go eat, Vanessa." He took her hand and took her into the dining room, sat her in his chair and poured her a glass of tea.

The others stood momentarily shocked, but one by one they filed into the dining room silently, slowly realizing their foolishness and resolving to make it right.. Buford took the plate of ham, and offered some to Vanessa.

"It's good ham…honey glazed."

Vanessa smiled and took a couple of pieces. Phineas passed her the rolls, and Isabella gave her the stuffing and gravy. Lawrence put some green beans and mashed potatoes on her plate, and Baljeet gave her the cranberry sauce. Stacy sliced her a piece of pie while her mother sliced some more turkey.

Candace took her earrings off and tapped Vanessa on the shoulder. Vanessa turned her head and Candace offered Vanessa her earrings. "You can have them," she said. Vanessa smiled.

"Thank you."

Candace saw her runny mascara and said, "If you want, you can borrow some of my make up after you eat also."

Ferb came up to her and gave her one of his best drills. "Your father might like this," he said.

Even Perry gave something. He hopped up onto Vanessa's lap and laid down, chattering contentedly like a cat would purr. This especially meant a lot to her, seeing as how he and her father were sworn enemies.

"Thank you, guys…" She looked around to one of them. They were all smiling compassionately. All except for Linda.

Linda came around to Vanessa and crossed her arms. "Stand up," she said.

Perry hopped down and Vanessa stood up, confused.

"If you and your father would like, you may stay here until you find somewhere to live."

"You can share my room, Vanessa," Candace said.

"And your father can take the guest room," Lawrence added.

"You can help us with our inventions if you want!" Phineas exclaimed.

"And you can have my bow." Isabella took the red bow out of her hair and pinned Vanessa's bangs back. "There," she said. "That looks pretty.

"You can borrow some of my clothes, too…"

"Have you ever built a roller coaster?"

"We can bake cookies tomorrow…"

"Your dad will feel right at home…"

"Grgrgrrrrrr…."

All the voices of everyone melted together, and Vanessa was overwhelmed with Tryptophan and love.

That night, as Vanessa lay in the trundle in Candace's room trying to go to sleep, she was overcome with gratitude towards the only people who would pay attention to her, and concluded that she'd never had a better Thanksgiving.

* * *

**Happy Thanksgiving, guys! Stay thankful and kind. Please review! :)**


End file.
